Driver Sentenced Seven Years in Construction Death

By: Liz Hardaway
Source: Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn. (TNS)

Oct. 21—HARTFORD — A Hartford man was sentenced to serve seven years in prison following his guilty plea in the death of a construction worker, according to judicial records.

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Tommy Nguyen, 26, was sentenced in state Superior Court in Hartford on Monday, judicial records show. After Nguyen is released from prison, he will be on probation for five years with the possibility of up to 11 more years behind bars for any violation of release conditions, according to records.

Nguyen's attorney, Michael L. Chambers Jr., previously said that the sentence was agreed upon. Nguyen pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on Aug. 25.

Nguyen was arrested on June 12, 2024, the day of the Hartford crash that killed Jose Diaz-Nieves, 54, of East Hartford. The crash occurred around noon after Nguyen, driving a 2006 Honda Accord, ran a red light at the intersection of Sisson Avenue and West Boulevard, according to police.

Witnesses told police that the vehicle was driving at a high speed just before crashing at a construction site near West Boulevard and South Whitney Street, police said. One witness reported that the vehicle involved in the crash "flew over" an open construction trench before hitting construction worker Diaz-Nieves, 54, of East Hartford, according to a police report.

Police reports describe a gruesome crash scene in which Diaz-Nieves was thrown over two dump trucks. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Hartford police Lt. Aaron Boisvert.

Nguyen told police he had a seizure while driving his elderly grandmother and 5-year-old brother. Police reports indicated that Nguyen was driving without a license and had a history of seizures, and Nguyen told police that he knew he probably should not have been driving, according to police.

Nguyen initially was charged with second-degree manslaughter, operating without insurance, operating an unregistered motor vehicle, operating with a suspended license, failure to use a child safety seat and improper use of a marker plate.

This story contains prior reporting from Staff Writer Jesse Leavenworth.

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